Community-Based Organizations – Save Lives Now Initiative’s Implementation of Rewire Cognitive Behavior Theory

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
FOR COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS TO SUPPORT SAVE LIVES NOW
INITIATIVE'S IMPLEMENTATION OF REWIRE COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THEORY
Solicitation # 2026RFP7-CBO
1 S. Memorial Drive, Suite 1600
St. Louis, MO 63102
September 15, 2026

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Request for Proposals
For
Community-Based Organizations - Save Lives Now Initiative's Implementation
of Rewire Cognitive Behavior Theory
East-West Gateway Council of Governments (the Council) is seeking proposals from qualified
community-based organizations (CBO) to support the Save Lives Now Initiative's implementation of
Rewire Cognitive Behavioral Theory (Rewire CBT) with adults, ages 18 years or older, at highest risk of
gun violence in the City of St. Louis.
Submittals are due no later than 1:00 p.m. local time on October 6, 2026 to the following address:
"Solicitation # 2026RFP7-CBO"
c/o Ms. Leah Watkins
Sr. Manager of Contracts & Grants
East-West Gateway Council of Governments
1 S. Memorial Drive, Suite 1600
St. Louis, MO 63102-2451
or via email to rfp@ewgateway.org
Section III contains the formatting, content, and other requirements for a submittal. Unless otherwise
due to extenuating circumstances and approved by the Council in advance, any submittals received
after the date and time listed above will be rejected and returned unopened.
Community-Based Organization SLN Rewire CBT Implementation RFP
Solicitation # 2026RFP7-CBO
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Table of Contents Page 4 of 46
Section Page
I. Introduction & Background 5
II. Scope of Work 10
III. Submittal Requirements 22
IV. Evaluation & Selection Procedures 29
V. General Items 36
VI. Nondiscrimination Requirements 39
VII. D/S/W/MBE Participation & Equal Opportunity 40
VIII. Protest Procedures 43
IX. Inquiries & Submission Information 44
Attachments*
A Price Proposal
B Firm Information
C Affirmative Action Checklist
D Contract Terms & Conditions Comments
E RFP Minimum Requirements Checklist
F D/S/W/MBE Participation Form
G Letter of Intent to Perform as a D/S/W/MBE
*Fillable / savable version of the attachments can be found on the Council's website at www.ewgateway.org/about-us/what-we-do/doing-
business-with-ewg/contracting-opportunities/
Appendices**
1 Evaluation Criteria & Factors
2 Draft Contract Terms & Conditions
3 Conflicts of Interest Policy
4 Firm Responsibility Questionnaire
5 FAQs - Submittal Requirements
**Appendices are available on the Council's website at www.ewgateway.org/about-us/what-we-do/doing-business-with-ewg/contracting-
opportunities/
Community-Based Organization SLN Rewire CBT Implementation RFP
Solicitation # 2026RFP7-CBO
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I. Introduction & Background Page 5 of 46
(a) Background
East-West Gateway Council of Governments (the Council) is the Metropolitan Planning Organization and
Council of Governments for the St. Louis bi-state region, and serves as the fiscal agent and
administrative backbone for the Council's Save Lives Now (SLN) initiative-a regional gun violence
reduction effort coordinating community-based organizations (CBOs), behavioral health providers, street
outreach and focused deterrence partners, law enforcement, and other implementation partners across
the St. Louis region.
The Council, through the Save Lives Now (SLN) initiative, seeks to strengthen the capacity of community-
based organizations serving adults at highest risk of gun violence in the City of St. Louis.
The Council received funding from the St. Louis Mental Health Board (MHB) for "Save Lives Now - A
Behavioral Health Bridge for Adults at Highest Risk of Violence" initiative, and this project is 100%
funded through the grant award. The project is designed to promote trauma-informed care among non-
medical service providers, strengthen the behavioral health response available to adults at elevated and
near-term risk of gun violence by connecting trusted community-based engagement with evidence-
informed behavioral health practices and access to clinical care when participants are ready.
A central component of the project is implementing Rewire Cognitive Behavioral Theory (Rewire CBT),
an evidence-informed, non-clinical adaptation of cognitive behavioral therapy developed by Roca
Impact Institute. Rewire CBT provides practical, skills-based tools that help participants recognize the
relationship between thoughts, feelings, actions; regulate emotions; navigate conflict; pause before
reacting; and make safer decisions during high-stress situations. (Learn more: https://rocainc.org/the-
roca-impact-institute/rewire-by-roca/).
Roca Impact Institute will serve as the project's Rewire CBT technical assistance provider and will
provide training, coaching, implementation support, and monitoring.
The project also includes a separately procured Lead Behavioral Health Partner that will provide or
coordinate clinical behavioral health assessment, crisis intervention, treatment, consultation, referrals,
care coordination. The CBOs selected through this RFP will serve as trusted, non-clinical engagement
partners and will coordinate with the Lead Behavioral Health Partner when participants need or become
ready for clinical behavioral health services.
(b) Role of Community-Based Organizations
Community-based organizations play a critical role in stabilizing and supporting individuals at elevated
risk of gun violence. For some organizations, that role may include direct violence intervention, street
outreach, or other services specifically designed to interrupt cycles of retaliation and reduce immediate
risk. For others, the contribution may be less directly identified as violence prevention but equally
important to participant safety and long-term stabilization. Employment assistance, housing support,
substance use recovery, behavioral health services, health care, and assistance meeting basic needs can
address the underlying barriers and crises that make it more difficult for individuals to disengage from
violence and maintain stability.
Community-Based Organization SLN Rewire CBT Implementation RFP
Solicitation # 2026RFP7-CBO
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I. Introduction & Background Page 6 of 46
Save Lives Now therefore recognizes a broad network of community-based service providers as essential
partners in supporting adults at highest risk of gun violence. Consistent with the Save Lives Now
Regional Work Plan, organizations providing one or more of the following categories of services are
eligible to respond to this solicitation:
* Low-Threshold Housing: Immediate or rapid access to housing and housing stabilization services
designed to minimize barriers to participation.
* Relocation Services: Temporary or emergency housing and related assistance for participants
who must relocate because of an immediate or ongoing safety concern.
* Behavioral Health Services: Mental health, counseling, crisis stabilization, care coordination, or
other behavioral health supports.
* Substance Use Recovery Services: Treatment, recovery support, peer services, or other
assistance for individuals experiencing substance use disorders or related challenges.
* Support for Basic Needs: Assistance addressing essential needs such as rent, utilities, food,
transportation, identification documents, other immediate barriers to stability.
* Employment Services: Job readiness, occupational skills training, placement, retention, career
development, related workforce supports.
* Health Care Clinics: Primary, preventive, urgent, or other health care services that address
participants' immediate and ongoing physical health needs.
While a broad range of community-based organizations are eligible to apply and an organization is not
required to operate a violence interruption program, organizations may be particularly well-positioned
to succeed if they have established, trusted relationships with adults experiencing elevated violence risk,
chronic trauma, justice-system involvement, or significant barriers to stability. Eligible respondents must
demonstrate that their services are relevant to the stabilization, engagement, safety, or self-sufficiency
of adults at elevated risk of gun violence and that they have the capacity to incorporate Rewire CBT-
informed practices into appropriate participant interactions.
At the time of application, respondents do not need to be currently serving SLN-referred participants.
However, applicants must have existing services, staff capacity, and operational infrastructure that
would allow them to begin accepting and engaging eligible SLN participants during the contract period.
This includes the ability to provide one or more of the eligible service categories described above,
maintain consistent participant engagement, coordinate with SLN partners, incorporate SLN referrals
into existing service workflows.
For purposes of this solicitation, capacity to incorporate Rewire CBT-informed practices means the
organization has sufficient staffing, supervisory support, and organizational commitment to participate
in required training and integrate Rewire CBT into appropriate services and workflows.
Community-Based Organization SLN Rewire CBT Implementation RFP
Solicitation # 2026RFP7-CBO
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I. Introduction & Background Page 7 of 46
(c) Purpose of the RFP
The Council anticipates making one award to a qualified community-based organization (CBO) to
support Save Lives Now's implementation of Rewire Cognitive Behavioral Theory (Rewire CBT) with
adults, ages 18 years or older, at highest risk of gun violence in the City of St. Louis.
The CBO will continue providing the services it already provides while training designated staff to
incorporate Rewire CBT into interactions with eligible SLN participants. The Council will reimburse up to
$34,669 of eligible staff time associated with implementation. The CBO must also administer a separate
$31,536 participant flex fund. Approximately 20 participants are expected to receive ongoing Rewire
CBT-informed engagement during the initial project period.
The selected CBO will:
* designate frontline and supervisory staff to participate in Rewire CBT training, coaching, and
implementation activities;
* integrate Rewire CBT-informed practices into its existing services and routine interactions with
eligible SLN participants;
* engage and coordinate services for eligible participants referred through authorized SLN
pathways;
* coordinate with the Council, Roca Impact Institute, the SLN Lead Behavioral Health Partner, and
other authorized SLN partners;
* maintain required program, participant, staff-time, performance documentation; and
* administer the Save Lives Now Flexible Participant Support Fund in accordance with the
Council's requirements.
This RFP is intended to build the selected CBO's capacity to incorporate Rewire CBT into services it
already provides rather than establish a separate clinical or stand-alone Rewire CBT program. Rewire
CBT is a non-clinical practice and does not replace clinical behavioral health assessment, diagnosis,
treatment, or crisis intervention.
(d) Funding Available
Maximum Contract Award - $34,669
The selected CBO may receive up to $34,669 in partial reimbursement for eligible staff time associated
with Rewire CBT implementation. Applicants should submit a proposed budget not to exceed $34,669
based on the estimated eligible staff time necessary to fulfill the Scope of Work. The final award may be
less than the maximum amount based on the proposed staffing plan, budget, and final contract
negotiations.
Eligible staff time includes Rewire CBT training, coaching, skill practice, refresher training,
implementation meetings, activities, required documentation, integration of Rewire CBT into
organizational workflows. Indirect costs, fringe benefits, general administrative or overhead costs,
Community-Based Organization SLN Rewire CBT Implementation RFP
Solicitation # 2026RFP7-CBO
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I. Introduction & Background Page 8 of 46
supplies, equipment, travel, and other organizational expenses are not allowable. In addition to the
contract award, the selected CBO will receive Rewire CBT training, coaching, and implementation
support from Roca Impact Institute at no cost to the organization, representing an estimated annual
value of approximately $50,000.
Flexible Participant Support Fund - $31,536
Separately, $31,536 has been reserved for the Save Lives Now Flexible Participant Support Fund. These
funds are restricted exclusively to authorized assistance for eligible SLN participants and will be
administered by the selected CBO on behalf of the Council. The Flexible Participant Support Fund is not
part of the CBO's contract award and is not considered organizational revenue or compensation.
The Flexible Participant Support Fund provides limited, short-term financial assistance intended to
remove practical barriers to participant engagement, safety, and stabilization. The selected CBO will
administer these funds in accordance with the SLN Flexible Participant Support Fund Policy, the resulting
contract, and procedures established by the Council. The selected CBO will not receive separate
administrative compensation for administering the fund. The full $31,536 is restricted to authorized
participant assistance and may not be used for administrative, staffing, overhead, operating, or other
organizational costs.
(e) Participant Population and Services Area
Activities supported through this solicitation shall be limited to adults, ages 18 years or older, who
reside in the City of St. Louis and have been identified through Save Lives Now (SLN) as being at elevated
and near-term risk of involvement in gun violence.
Participants may be referred through the City of St. Louis Office of Violence Prevention, a key
stakeholder and partner in SLN, or other authorized SLN partners and referral pathways. These may
include street outreach teams, meaning relationship-based engagement with individuals at elevated risk
of violence; focused deterrence, a violence reduction strategy that offers support services to individuals
at highest risk of involvement in serious violence paired with a message of legal accountability for those
who continue to engage in gun violence; community-based organizations; behavioral health partners;
and other authorized SLN referral sources.
The selected CBO will not be responsible for independently assessing or determining an individual's
violence-risk level. Eligibility will be established through an authorized SLN referral process.
An eligible participant must:
* reside in the City of St. Louis at the time of referral, except that an otherwise eligible participant
will not automatically become ineligible if an SLN-supported safety or stabilization plan requires
temporary or permanent relocation outside the City, subject to the Council approval and
applicable MHB requirements.
* have been identified through an authorized SLN referral process as being at elevated risk of
involvement in gun violence; and
Community-Based Organization SLN Rewire CBT Implementation RFP
Solicitation # 2026RFP7-CBO
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I. Introduction & Background Page 9 of 46
* be actively engaged with the contracted organization, an SLN partner case manager, street
outreach worker, behavioral health provider, or other authorized SLN partner when assistance is
requested, unless the requested assistance is itself necessary to remove a barrier to continued
engagement.
Eligible participants will be referred to the selected CBO through authorized SLN referral pathways,
which may include the City of St. Louis Office of Violence Prevention, street outreach teams, focused
deterrence partners, other authorized SLN partners. The CBO may receive and engage a larger number
of potential participants during the initial project period; however, given the complex needs and
circumstances of this population and the likelihood that individuals may engage, disengage, and re-
engage with services over time, SLN anticipates that approximately 20 eligible participants will receive
ongoing Rewire CBT-informed engagement during the initial contract period. This is the project's service
target and is dependent on referral volume and participant engagement. The selected CBO will be
expected to make reasonable and documented efforts to engage and re-engage referred participants
(f) Period of Performance
The anticipated initial period of performance for the resulting contract is November 2, 2026 through
June 30, 2027. Subject to continued funding availability from the Saint Louis Mental Health Board,
satisfactory performance, and Council approval, the contract may be renewed for up to two additional
one-year terms to align with the FY27-29 grant cycle.
Community-Based Organization SLN Rewire CBT Implementation RFP
Solicitation # 2026RFP7-CBO
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II. Scope of Work Page 10 of 46
A. General Scope of Work
The selected CBO shall participate in the implementation of Rewire CBT and incorporate the model into
routine services and interactions with eligible SLN participants.
Rewire CBT implementation is intended to build sustainable organizational capacity rather than provide
a one-time training experience. Participating organizations must therefore commit sufficient frontline
and supervisory staff and have organizational capacity for training, practice, implementation,
documentation, and continuous improvement.
At minimum, every participating staff member should expect to complete two in-person days and two
virtual two-hour sessions of initial Rewire CBT training. Following initial training, staff, designated
supervisors, and/or implementation leads should anticipate participating in in-person and virtual
coaching sessions to reinforce skills, support structured practice, and assist with early implementation.
Roca Impact Institute will provide additional virtual and in-person coaching, refresher training,
implementation planning, and technical assistance during the contract period based on implementation
needs.
Beyond initial training, the exact frequency and duration of coaching, refresher training, and meetings
will depend on implementation needs and will be established with the selected CBO and Roca Impact
Institute. Applicants should anticipate recurring implementation activities throughout the contract
period and should budget sufficient staff capacity accordingly. In addition, specific dates and schedules
for training, coaching, and implementation activities will be established in coordination with Roca
Impact Institute and the selected CBO.
For purposes of this Scope of Work, activities identified using "shall," "must," or "required" are
contractual requirements of the selected CBO. Activities described as "may," "as appropriate," or "as
applicable" are anticipated or potential activities that will depend on participant needs, organizational
readiness, implementation progress, or direction from the Council and Roca Impact Institute and are not
independent minimum performance requirements unless incorporated into the resulting contract.
Documentation of Staff Time
To receive reimbursement for eligible staff time, the selected CBO must maintain documentation
sufficient to identify the employee, date of activity, number of hours claimed, applicable Rewire CBT
activity or Scope of Work task, and employee or supervisor certification of the time reported. Supporting
documentation may include training and coaching attendance records, meeting records,
implementation activity logs, timesheets, or other documentation approved by the Council. The Council
will provide or approve the required reporting format prior to reimbursement.
Community-Based Organization SLN Rewire CBT Implementation RFP
Solicitation # 2026RFP7-CBO
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